Original subtitles

Wyatt: I'M WYATT EARP,

AND THIS IS THE TRUE TALE OF MY DAYS IN TOMBSTONE.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THAT INFAMOUS GUNFIGHT.

HOLD!

TO ME, WHEN IT COMES TO GUNSLINGERS,

THAT O.K. CORRAL IS THE GREATEST GUNSLINGER MOMENT OF ALL TIME.

Wyatt: BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO TELL --

ABOUT HOW A GANG OF HARDENED CRIMINALS

DESTROYED MY FAMILY AND DROVE ME TO KILL.

Clark: THIS IS THE SOAP OPERA OF ITS TIME.

THIS IS THE CRIME STORY OF THE DECADE.

THERE'S A HUGE STORY

BEHIND WHAT EVERYBODY KNOWS FROM THE MOVIES.

THERE IS SUCH A COMPLEX UNDERPINNING.

Wyatt: OUT HERE, A MAN'S GOT TO SERVE HIS OWN JUSTICE.

AND WHEN A GANG OF THUGS TOOK AIM

AT ME AND MY BROTHERS...

THAT'S JUST WHAT I DID.

WYATT EARP HAD ALWAYS BEEN THE LAWMAN WHO AVOIDED KILLING

UNTIL THAT DAY WHEN HE PUT A GUN AT FRANK STILWELL

AND BLEW UP IN HIS CHEST.

Clark: IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT LAW AND ORDER.

THIS IS PERSONAL.

THIS IS REVENGE.

Russell: HE HAD NO INTENT OF GOING DOWN SWINGING.

HE HAD NOT INTENT OF GOING DOWN.

THEY HAVE MESSED WITH THE WRONG COWBOY.

[ LAUGHS ]

HE'S JUST GETTING STARTED.

[ GUNSHOT ]

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WYATT EARP'S DYING WORDS ARE THE MOST COMPELLING

OF ANY I'VE EVER HEARD.

HE WAS SAYING, "SUPPOSE -- SUPPOSE..."

AND THEN HE DIED.

WHAT MIGHT HE HAVE SAID?

Russell: "SUPPOSE IT WAS ALL DIFFERENT.

SUPPOSE IT HAD ALL HAPPENED DIFFERENTLY."

YOU KNOW, I'VE OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT

WHAT WAS HE STILL RUNNING THROUGH HIS HEAD?

HE PROBABLY WAS A MAN WHO DID HAVE SILENT REGRETS, YOU KNOW?

WISHING THINGS THAT HAD HAPPENED HADN'T.

Wyatt: I SPENT DECADES ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER.

AS IT MOVED WEST, I MOVED WITH IT,

DOING JUST ABOUT ANYTHING I COULD TO SURVIVE.

I'VE BEEN A LAWMAN, A GAMBLER, SALOON OWNER,

STAGECOACH DRIVER, AND BUFFALO HUNTER.

BUT I'M REMEMBERED AS A GUNSLINGER

BECAUSE OF THE TWO YEARS I SPENT

IN A MINING TOWN CALLED TOMBSTONE,

WHERE THERE WAS A CERTAIN ELEMENT

THAT JUST COULDN'T BE REASONED WITH.

TOMBSTONE HAD ITS ORIGINS BECAUSE OF SILVER.

THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY THE LARGEST SILVER STRIKE

IN THE SOUTHWEST.

THE GENTLEMAN THAT DISCOVERED SILVER HERE,

HIS NAME WAS ED SCHIEFFELIN,

AND HE LIKED TO WANDER THESE HILLS

ALL BY HIMSELF,

DESPITE THE EVER-PRESENT DANGER FROM GERONIMO, IN PARTICULAR.

AND HE WAS WARNED TIME AND AGAIN

THAT ALL HE WOULD EVER FIND OUT THERE

WOULD BE HIS OWN TOMBSTONE.

SO, OF COURSE, WHEN HE DID DISCOVER SILVER,

HE NAMED HIS FIRST CLAIM THE TOMBSTONE,

AND WHAT STARTED AS A TENT CITY

QUICKLY GREW TO BE A THRIVING METROPOLIS

OF POSSIBLY AS MANY AS 12,000 PEOPLE.

Wyatt: MY BROTHERS AND I --

JAMES, VIRGIL, AND MORGAN EARP --

CAME TO TOMBSTONE IN '79

HOPING TO CASH IN ON THE SILVER RUSH

WITHOUT HAVING TO SWING A PICKAXE.

Clark: THERE'S PLENTY OF MONEY TO BE MADE

AND NOT JUST BY THE MINERS.

IT WOULD BE THE SALOONS, THE CASINOS, AND THE BROTHELS.

EVERYBODY'S A WINNER,

AND THE EARPS ARE LOOKING TO MAKE MONEY ANY WAY THEY CAN.

VIRGIL. WYATT.

HOW ARE YOU, BROTHER?

I'M GOOD. GOOD TO SEE YOU.

Tefertiller: AT DIFFERENT POINTS,

THE EARPS WERE IN A POSITION TO MAKE A GOOD DEAL OF MONEY,

AND IT ALL FELL APART

BECAUSE THEY GOT INVOLVED IN THE LAW.

SHERIFF, THESE ARE MY BROTHERS -- MORGAN AND WYATT.

SHERIFF. WELCOME TO TOMBSTONE.

WHY DON'T WE HEAD ON INSIDE?

Wyatt: VIRGIL, MORGAN, AND I ALL SERVED AS LAWMEN BEFORE

IN RUGGED RAILHEADS LIKE WICHITA, ELLSWORTH,

AND DODGE CITY BACK IN KANSAS.

BUT THE OUTLAWS BACK EAST ARE NO MATCH

FOR THESE ARIZONA BOYS.

IN TOMBSTONE, THE OUTLAWS ARE A LITTLE MORE SOPHISTICATED.

THEY'RE A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED.

YOU MIGHT SAY THAT THERE WAS EVEN A COWBOY MAFIA

EMERGING FROM THE RANCHLAND SURROUNDING TOMBSTONE,

THAT IF YOU GET CAUGHT

IN THE CROSS HAIRS OF THOSE COWBOYS,

YOU'RE IN FOR A PACK OF TROUBLE.

TODAY, THE WORD "COWBOY" IS ONE WORD,

AND BACK THEN, IT'S TWO WORDS,

AND IT'S A DEROGATORY TERM --

A DEADBEAT AND A CRIMINAL.

Wyatt: TOMBSTONE'S BUSINESSMEN SAW ME AND MY BROTHERS

AS THE SOLUTION TO THEIR OUTLAW PROBLEM.

VIRGIL ACCEPTED AN APPOINTMENT

AS TOMBSTONE'S NEW DEPUTY MARSHAL.

AND WITHIN A YEAR OF OUR ARRIVAL IN TOMBSTONE,

I BECAME THE DEPUTY SHERIFF OF PIMA COUNTY.

THE EARPS NEVER INTENDED TO HAVE A CAREER IN THE LAW.

IT JUST SEEMS THAT LAW JOBS

CONSTANTLY WERE FALLING IN THEIR LAPS.

Man: TAKE A NIP OF THIS, FRANK!

[ MEN LAUGHING, SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]

Wyatt: IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE I WAS CALLED ON

TO CONTEND WITH HARD-DRINKING, TRIGGER-HAPPY COWBOYS

LIKE "CURLY BILL" BROCIUS.

Wyatt: WE CAN'T GO ONE NIGHT WITHOUT YOU RAISING HELL.

I GUESS NOT.

YOU DON'T LIKE IT, YOU CAN KISS MY ASS.

[ CHUCKLING ]

SON OF A BITCH. GIVE ME THOSE PISTOLS!

COME ON, SHERIFF!

[ LAUGHING ]

[ GUNSHOT ] White: AAH!

Clark: DESPITE THE FACT

THAT WYATT EARP WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A MAN OF ACTION,

HE ONLY VERY RARELY FIRED HIS GUN.

HE PREFERRED INSTEAD TO CRACK PEOPLE OVER THE HEAD

WITH THE BARREL OF HIS GUN,

AND THAT WAS KNOWN AS BUFFALOING.

Russell: HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT YOU,

AND HE'D JUST GO SO FAST THAT YOU -- BOOM.

THE NEXT THING YOU KNEW, YOU'D BEEN HIT.

YOU HARDLY SAW HIM.

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, EARP?

I'M TAKING HIM IN!

YOU AIN'T TAKING HIM NOWHERE, WYATT.

[ GUN COCKS ]

AND WHICH ONE OF YOU WANTS TO BE

ON THE WORKING END OF THIS PISTOL?

THIS AIN'T OVER.

Man: LET'S JUST STRING HIM UP RIGHT NOW!

All: YEAH!

COME ON!

Man #2 : HE JUST KILLED SHERIFF WHITE!

AND HE'LL BE TRIED FOR IT!

TO HELL WITH THAT!

Tefertiller: IF YOU KNOCK SOMEBODY UNCONSCIOUS

AND DRAG THEM OFF TO JAIL,

YOU WERE SPARING THEM

AND GIVING THEM A LOT BETTER LIFESTYLE

THAN IF YOU BEAT THE HECK OUT OF THEM.

TO HELL WITH JUSTICE!

Wyatt: BUT TOMBSTONE'S OUTLAWS DON'T SEE IT THAT WAY.

"TOUGH BUT FAIR" DON'T SUIT THESE COWBOYS,

AND IT'S THAT ATTITUDE

THAT WILL SOON PUT THEM IN OUR CROSS HAIRS.

Oldfather: WYATT MADE ENEMIES IN TOMBSTONE,

AND VIRGIL MADE ENEMIES IN TOMBSTONE

BY THEIR STRONG-ARM TACTICS.

BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THAT THEY WERE HITTING OVER THE HEAD,

THROWING IN JAIL,

WERE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE BEFORE THE EARPS CAME

AND WEREN'T GOING BACK SOMEWHERE,

SO IT WAS A REAL FATAL DIFFERENCE

THAT WYATT NEVER CLUED INTO.

Wyatt: TWO FAMILIES IN PARTICULAR

WERE LESS THAN FOND OF THE EARP BRAND OF JUSTICE.

THE CLANTONS AND THE McLAURYS MAKE THEIR WAY SELLING BEEF

FROM STOLEN MEXICAN CATTLE.

BUT THEY AIN'T ABOVE THE LAW.

Bell: THE CLANTONS AND THE McLAURYS WERE HERE

LONG BEFORE THE EARPS WERE HERE,

AND THEY WERE KIND OF PIONEERS,

AND SO THEY WERE USED TO HAVING THINGS THEIR WAY.

Wyatt: ON ONE OCCASION, WE CAUGHT THE McLAURYS

IN THE ACT OF REBRANDING SIX MULES

THEY'D STOLEN FROM THE U.S. ARMY.

WE GOT PAPERS.

Wyatt: YEAH?

WELL, I GUESS SOMEBODY SWAPPED YOUR MULES

FOR THESE ARMY NAGS, RIGHT?

Wyatt: THEY PROMISED TO RETURN THEM TO TOWN THE NEXT DAY

IF NO ARRESTS WERE MADE,

BUT THEY NEVER DID,

PROVING THEMSELVES NOT ONLY THIEVES BUT LIARS.

A FEW MONTHS LATER,

I CAME ACROSS ONE OF THE CLANTON BOYS

SADDLING UP MY OWN STOLEN HORSE.

GOT ANY MORE AT HOME?

THEY'RE STABLED PROPER.

YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF STEALING THEM.

Wyatt: THROUGH THE FALL OF '80 AND THE SPRING OF '81,

THE TENSION BETWEEN US AND THE OUTLAWS ONLY GREW.

WE VIEWED THEM AS A MENACE TO BE CONTROLLED,

WHILE THEY SAW US AS A THREAT TO BE ELIMINATED.

WE RESOLVED?

Tefertiller: THERE WAS A STORY THAT CIRCULATED THROUGH TOWN

THAT THE COWBOYS HAD MET AND GATHERED TOGETHER

AND THAT THEY HAD SIGNED IN BLOOD

WITH A VOW TO KILL THE EARPS AND VARIOUS OTHER PEOPLE.

Wyatt: KILL OR BE KILLED --

THIS WAS THE CHALLENGE LAID BEFORE US.

MY BROTHERS AND I DIDN'T ASK FOR IT.

BUT WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO ANSWER IT.

[ TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING IN DISTANCE ]

[ PIANO PLAYING ]

Wyatt: OCTOBER 26, 1881, WOULD BE A DAY

NO ONE IN TOMBSTONE WOULD EVER FORGET.

Man: BE A PLEASURE TAKING YOUR MONEY.

WELL, GENTLEMEN, I BELIEVE I WILL FOLD.

Wyatt: BUT IT STARTED LIKE ANY OTHER --

WITH SOME WHISKEY-FUELED BRAWLING OVER CARDS.

[ COUGHING ]

RAISE.

CALL.

LET'S SEE 'EM.

READ 'EM AND WEEP, DR. HOLLIDAY.

[ CHUCKLES ] YOU SON OF A BITCH.

Holliday: SON OF A BITCH, COW BOY!

[ MEN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ]

GET AWAY FROM ME!

Wyatt: THAT'S MY FRIEND DOC IN HIS NATURAL HABITAT.

I'LL KILL YOU FOR IT!

GET OFF ME! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

Holliday: I'LL KILL YOU!

Man: GET AWAY FROM ME!

Clark: THE MAN WHO FEELS THAT HE HAS NOTHING TO LOSE

IS JUST THE KIND OF MAN

THAT YOU'D WANT TO HAVE ON YOUR SIDE IN A BAR FIGHT.

THAT'S DOC HOLLIDAY.

[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]

[ COUGHING ]

Bell: DOC HOLLIDAY IS AN INTERESTING CAT

BECAUSE HE'S DYING FROM TUBERCULOSIS,

LAUNCHES HIMSELF WEST

SO THAT HE WON'T BURDEN HIS FAMILY BACK IN GEORGIA,

AND HE BASICALLY WALKS INTO EVERY SALOON AND SAYS,

"KILL ME."

NOW, YOU DON'T WANT TO FIGHT A GUY THAT HAS THAT ATTITUDE.

Wyatt: DOC IS LOUD, BRASH, AND BELLIGERENT -- NO QUESTION.

BUT HE'S ALSO HIGHLY EDUCATED, A DENTIST BY TRADE,

AND A LOYAL FRIEND.

WE MET IN DODGE CITY BACK IN '76.

AND WHEN I CAME TO TOMBSTONE, I INVITED HIM TO JOIN ME.

SETTLE DOWN. SON OF A BITCH!

SETTLE DOWN.

Wyatt: SOME SAY WE'VE JEOPARDIZED OUR OWN REPUTATIONS

BY ASSOCIATING WITH HOLLIDAY,

WHO SEEMS TO HAVE A KNACK FOR MAKING ENEMIES.

BUT I OWE HIM FAR MORE THAN FRIENDSHIP.

THERE CAME A POINT WHEN WYATT SAYS

THAT DOC HOLLIDAY SAVED HIS LIFE.

LOOK AT ALL THIS. [ CHUCKLES ]

Wyatt: I WAS WORKING THE BEAT ONE NIGHT IN DODGE CITY

WHEN SOME DRUNKEN COWBOYS GOT THE DROP ON ME.

GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THAT?

THE ONLY WAY

ANYONE COULD APPRECIATE THE FEELING I HAVE FOR DOC...

[ GUNSHOT ] LOOK OUT, BOY!

Wyatt: ...WOULD BE IF THEY STOOD IN MY BOOTS

WHEN HE CAME THROUGH THAT DOORWAY.

WYATT EARP GAVE DOC CREDIT FOR SAVING HIS LIFE,

AND IT WOULD BECOME A MAJOR BOND IN THEIR LIVES.

Russell: ONE OF THE GREAT FRIENDSHIPS, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

THEY WERE WHO THEY WERE,

AND IT WAS VERY HARD FOR THEM

TO FIND PEOPLE WHO COULD ACCEPT THEM.

SO TO HAVE SOMEONE

THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN QUESTION

AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY'D BE THERE FOR YOU

IN A TIME OF REAL NEED --

AND THOSE WERE TIMES OF REAL NEED --

WAS PROBABLY SOME OF THE GREATEST THINGS IN THEIR LIFE.

Wyatt: IN TOMBSTONE, THREE YEARS LATER,

ANOTHER GROUP OF DRUNKEN THUGS TURN THEIR IRE ON US...

WYATT EARP?!

Wyatt: ...AND SET THE STAGE

FOR THE MOST ICONIC SHOOTOUT IN WESTERN HISTORY.

MORGAN EARP!

VIRGIL EARP!

GET OUT HERE IN THE STREET!

Wyatt: IKE ALWAYS RUNS HIS MOUTH.

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO.

I'M GONNA KILL ME SOME DAMNED EARPS!

Wyatt: BUT THIS TIME, HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT.

Clark: HE'S WANDERING THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE,

TELLING ANYONE THAT'LL LISTEN

THAT HE'S GONNA KILL THE EARPS AND DOC HOLLIDAY THE NEXT DAY.

HE'S DRUNK OUT OF HIS MIND.

AND I'M SURE AS HELL GONNA KILL DOC HOLLIDAY.

BY THIS TIME, THE EARPS ARE HOME IN BED,

AND PEOPLE COME UP

AND START WAKING UP VIRGIL AND WYATT

AND SAYING, "IKE'S GOING AROUND TOWN THREATENING TO KILL YOU."

Clark: BY MIDDAY, EVERYONE IN TOWN KNOWS

THAT TROUBLE'S BREWING.

PEOPLE ARE TAKING TO THE BOARDWALKS,

PEOPLE ARE PEERING THROUGH SHOP WINDOWS.

Tefertiller: WYATT EARP WALKS DOWN THE STREET,

GOES TO HAFFORD'S CORNER,

AND BUYS A CIGAR TO COOL HIMSELF DOWN

AND STANDS THERE SMOKING THE CIGAR.

Wyatt: MEANWHILE, IKE HAD HOOKED UP WITH HIS CRONIES

DOWN BY THE O.K. CORRAL.

HIS BROTHER BILLY,

THE McLAURY BROTHERS FRANK AND TOM,

AND BILLY CLAIBORNE WERE ALL THERE,

HANGING AROUND THE VACANT LOT BEHIND THE CORRAL

BY FLY'S BOARDING HOUSE, WHERE DOC HAD BEEN STAYING.

Oldfather: THE COWBOYS HAD GUNS.

THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE THEM IN TOWN

UNLESS THEY WERE COMING INTO TOWN OR LEAVING.

VIRGIL WAS TRYING TO BE A VOICE OF REASON,

SAYING, "HEY, I THINK THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT OF TOWN.

LET'S LET THEM BE."

BUT THE CITIZENRY HAD HAD ENOUGH OF THE COWBOYS IN GENERAL.

"EARPS, YOU'VE GOT TO GO DO SOMETHING."

MORNING. Wyatt: BOYS.

Tefertiller: VIRGIL WAS IN A POSITION

WHERE HE COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE TOWN,

AND THAT WOULD BE A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION.

IF HE ACTED, HE COULD KILL PEOPLE

OR LOSE HIS OWN LIFE.

IF HE DIDN'T ACT, HE COULD LOSE HIS RESPECT IN THE COMMUNITY.

YOU GUYS GOT FULL GUN BELTS?

YES, SIR. READY TO GO.

ALL RIGHT.

Wyatt: DOC ALWAYS HAD A KNACK FOR TIMING,

AND HIS APPEARANCE THAT MORNING AT A CRITICAL MOMENT

MAY HAVE CHANGED HISTORY.

THIS ISN'T YOUR FIGHT, DOC.

THAT'S A HELL OF A THING FOR YOU TO SAY TO ME.

ALL RIGHT, THEN.

Bell: VIRGIL EARP'S BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS BRINGING DOC HOLLIDAY ALONG,

WHO HAD AN AXE TO GRIND, WAS LOADED,

AND, I BELIEVE, STARTED THE FIGHT.

HERE THEY COME.

Oldfather: THE COWBOYS HAD TO SAVE FACE.

THEY FELT THAT THEY COULD NOT BE SEEN RUNNING OUT OF TOWN

IN FEAR OF THE EARPS, IN FEAR OF AUTHORITY.

THE EARPS HAD TO SAVE FACE.

THEY COULD NOT AFFORD TO BE FACED DOWN BY THESE COWBOYS.

WE'RE TALKING TWO YEARS OF TENSION HERE.

IT HAD TO BREAK SOMETIME.

Tefertiller: THE EARPS TURN AND WALK DOWN THE STREET

TOWARD THE O.K. CORRAL

AND THE BULLETS THAT WILL FLY INTO DESTINY.

HERE THEY COME.

Russell: TO ME, WHEN IT COMES TO GUNSLINGERS,

THAT O.K. CORRAL IS THE GREATEST GUNSLINGER MOMENT OF ALL TIME.

Wyatt: BY THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 26, 1881,

THE TIME FOR TALKING HAD PASSED.

OUR TROUBLES WITH TOMBSTONE'S COWBOYS

HAD BEEN ESCALATING FOR TWO YEARS,

AND THE POWDER KEG WAS FINALLY ABOUT TO BLOW.

VIRGIL, MORGAN, DOC, AND I RESOLVED

TO GO DOWN TO THE O.K. CORRAL

AND DISARM IKE CLANTON AND HIS CRONIES

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Gomber: MOST OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE KNEW SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN,

PROBABLY JUST FROM THEIR BODY LANGUAGE

AND FROM THE ARMAMENTS THEY WERE CARRYING.

ONE EYEWITNESS DID HEAR PROBABLY MORGAN SAY TO DOC,

"LET THEM HAVE IT,"

TO WHICH DOC SAID, "ALL RIGHT."

WE ROUNDED THE CORNER OF 4th AND FREMONT,

AND THERE STOOD THE COWBOYS

WITH THEIR WEAPONS IN PLAIN SIGHT.

THEY SEE PISTOLS VISIBLE, RIFLES ON THE SADDLES.

THEY SEE ARMAMENTS EVERYWHERE.

BOYS, THROW UP YOUR HANDS. I WANT YOUR GUNS.

Oldfather: AND HERE WE ARE, THE TWO GROUPS, SUDDENLY,

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS TWO YEARS OF TENSION,

ALL TOGETHER, FACING EACH OTHER,

BOTH OF THEM KNOWING WHAT THE OTHER ONE IS THERE FOR.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?

Virgil: HOLD!

I DON'T WANT THAT!

NOW, THIS ISN'T THOUGHT ABOUT VERY MUCH,

BUT THAT VACANT LOT IS 15 FEET WIDE.

THEY'RE LITERALLY ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER.

AT ONE POINT, THEY'RE SO CLOSE TOGETHER

THAT THE BARREL OF DOC'S SHOTGUN IS PRESSED

INTO THE BELLY OF TOM McLAURY.

DOC HOLLIDAY'S PROBABLY THINKING, "WELL, I HAVE HIM NOW.

IF I LET THEM GO, THEY'LL ONLY AMBUSH ME TOMORROW NIGHT."

SO DOC HOLLIDAY DOES SOMETHING THAT I CONSIDER TO BE PIVOTAL.

HE COCKS THE HAMMERS ON THAT DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOTGUN.

[ GUN COCKS ]

I BELIEVE THAT IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN,

AND IF THERE'S ANY MORAL ON THIS STORY,

IT'S DO NOT TAKE A DRUNK DENTIST TO AN ARREST.

Wyatt: IN THAT MOMENT, IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED.

[ GUN COCKS ]

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

THERE'S ALL SORTS OF OPINION ON WHO CLICKED THE HAMMER FIRST,

WHO SHOT FIRST -- DOESN'T MATTER.

OUT OF THOSE NINE GUYS, SOMEBODY WAS GONNA MAKE A MOVE,

AND SUDDENLY, THEY WERE ALL SHOOTING,

AND THERE WENT THE BALLGAME.

DON'T SHOOT! I AIN'T GOT A GUN!

THE NEXT CLEAR THING THAT HAPPENED IS

THAT IKE CLANTON RAN UP TO WYATT AND GRABBED HIS ARM.

THE FIGHT'S COMMENCED. NOW GET TO FIGHTING OR GET AWAY!

Wyatt: THAT'S WHEN IKE TOOK OFF RUNNING

LIKE THE COWARD HE WAS.

Russell: WYATT'S REACTION WAS,

YOU KNOW, "THIS FIGHT'S COMMENCED.

GET TO FIGHTING OR GET AWAY."

HE DIDN'T SHOOT HIM.

IN ALL THAT CHAOS,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO EASY TO THINK ABOUT THAT.

THINK ABOUT IF THAT HAPPENED TO YOU RIGHT NOW.

THAT GUN WOULD BE EMPTIED SO QUICK,

IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND AND PROBABLY -- WHO KNOWS?

'CAUSE, LIKE, MAN, IT'S, "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!"

BAM, BAM, BAM!

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Wyatt: GET AWAY!

Russell: WYATT HAD THE WHEREWITHAL

TO NOT JUST NOT SHOOT HIM

BUT TO RESPOND TO HIM IN A GENTLEMANLY WAY.

THAT'S WHAT I CALL MANLY. [ LAUGHS ]

Gomber: THERE WERE 30 WITNESSES, ROUGHLY, TO THE GUNFIGHT,

AND THERE ARE ABOUT 30 DIFFERENT VERSIONS

OF WHAT HAPPENED.

ALL WE CAN REALLY GO BY IS THE WOUNDS.

UNH!

Gomber: VIRGIL EARP WAS HIT IN THE CALF.

MORGAN EARP WAS HIT THROUGH THE SHOULDER BLADES.

KNOCKED BOTH OF THEM DOWN.

BILLY CLANTON WAS HIT IN THE GUT AND THE WRIST.

AND TOM McLAURY WAS HIT BY DOC HOLLIDAY'S SHOTGUN.

DOC JERKED HIS PISTOL AND BEGAN FIRING AT TOM

AS TOM RAN DOWN THE STREET

IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A HEADLESS-CHICKEN LUNGE,

AND TOM GOT TO THE CORNER

AND BASICALLY FELL OVER AND DIED.

I GOT YOU NOW, HOLLIDAY!

BLAZE AWAY.

YOU'RE A DAISY IF YOU DO.

UNH!

I'M SHOT THROUGH!

DOC GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A GRAZE ON THE HIP FROM FRANK'S SHOT.

Gomber: CAUSING DOC TO THINK HE'D BEEN SHOT RIGHT THROUGH.

MORGAN PUTS ONE INTO FRANK'S TEMPLE RIGHT THERE,

SO THAT DID FOR FRANK.

AND THEN IT WAS OVER.

Tefertiller: IT'S A SMOKEY, BLOODY MESS.

BILLY CLANTON, FRANK McLAURY,

TOM McLAURY ARE LYING IN THE STREET

DEAD OR DYING.

VIRGIL EARP IS SHOT THROUGH THE LEG.

MORGAN EARP IS SHOT THROUGH THE SHOULDERS

AND BADLY INJURED.

DOC HOLLIDAY IS GRAZED.

WHO'S LEFT STANDING WITHOUT A SCRATCH,

WITH BULLET HOLES IN HIS CLOTHING?

WYATT EARP, OUR HERO.

Tefertiller: IT BECAME SORT OF A STORY

THAT WYATT EARP COULDN'T BE TOUCHED BY BULLETS.

IT SEEMED LIKE HE ALMOST HAD A MAGICAL WAY ABOUT HIM.

Russell: HE'S THE ONLY GUY THAT DIDN'T MOVE.

ONE WOMAN'S ACCOUNT WAS ABSOLUTELY SPECIFIC.

SHE SAID, "THERE WAS THAT TALL MAN DRESSED IN BLACK

"JUST STANDING STOCK STILL.

AND HE SAW THAT MAN ACROSS FROM HIM START TO MOVE,"

AND SHE SAID, "HE JUST SHOT HIM DEAD."

SHE SAID, "BUT WHAT WAS INTERESTING ABOUT HIM

WAS HE NEVER MOVED."

AND I ALWAYS REMEMBERED THAT.

THINK ABOUT IT -- IF IT'S JUST CHAOS,

THE MINUTE YOU SEE SOMETHING MOVE,

YOU'RE GONNA SHOOT IT.

BUT THAT THING THAT DOESN'T MOVE BECOMES INVISIBLE.

SO IF YOU'RE EVER IN A GUNFIGHT WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE,

I RECOMMEND YOU DON'T MOVE. [ LAUGHS ]

AFTER THE GUNFIGHT,

PAPERS AROUND THE NATION HERALDED THE EARPS AS HEROES.

THE COUNTRY REJOICED AT WHAT THE EARPS HAD DONE.

THEN, SOMETHING VERY STRANGE HAPPENED.

AT THE CORONER'S HEARING,

WITNESS AFTER WITNESS CAME FORWARD,

AND THESE WITNESSES KEPT TELLING THE SAME STORY.

THEY KEPT SAYING THAT THE COWBOYS WERE SURRENDERING

AND HAD THEIR ARMS IN THE AIR

WHEN THE EARPS CAME FORWARD AND SHOT THEM DOWN.

Wyatt: AFTER THE GUNFIGHT, THE COWBOYS WENT ALL OUT

TO SPIN PUBLIC OPINION IN THEIR FAVOR.

THE LARGEST FUNERAL THAT TOMBSTONE HAD EVER SEEN

IS PAID FOR BY WILL McLAURY AND THE CLANTONS,

AND THE WHOLE TOWN TURNS OUT.

THEY CARRIED A SIGN DOWN THE STREET

THAT SAYS "MURDERED IN THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE,"

AND THAT'S WHEN THE TIDE STARTS TO TURN AGAINST THE EARPS.

Wyatt: WE'D GONE DOWN TO THE CORRAL TO END THE FEUD...

BUT AS IT TURNED OUT,

THE GUNFIGHT WAS ONLY THE OPENING BATTLE

IN WHAT WAS ABOUT TO BECOME A WAR.

Wyatt: A FEW DAYS AFTER THE GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL,

DOC AND I WERE ARRESTED

IN THE KILLINGS OF BILLY CLANTON AND FRANK AND TOM McLAURY.

VIRGIL AND MORGAN WERE STILL RECOVERING FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS,

SO THE JUDGE PUT THEM ON HOUSE ARREST.

OVERNIGHT, WE WENT FROM BEING HAILED

AS THE HEROES OF TOMBSTONE TO BEING THE ACCUSED.

Tefertiller: WYATT EARP AND HIS BROTHERS

AND HOLLIDAY WOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR MURDER.

NOW, IN TODAY'S LAW, THE STATE BRINGS THOSE CHARGES,

BUT IN TERRITORIAL ARIZONA,

THERE WAS A DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVE.

A CITIZEN COULD BRING CHARGES FOR MURDER AGAINST SOMEONE.

WHO COMES FORWARD? IKE CLANTON, AGAIN.

IKE GOES OUT, AND HE HIRES THE DREAM TEAM,

THE BEST ATTORNEYS IN TOMBSTONE,

TO PROSECUTE THE CASE AGAINST THE EARPS

THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO THEIR HANGING.

MR. EARP, YOU ARE FREE TO GO.

Wyatt: ULTIMATELY, JUDGE SPICER LISTENS TO REASON

AND ACQUITTED US OF ALL CHARGES.

BUT WE DIDN'T EMERGE UNSCATHED.

Tefertiller: ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS WAS IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION.

ALL THAT PEOPLE HAD READ OR HEARD FOR WEEKS

WAS ABOUT HOW THE EARPS MURDERED THEM IN COLD BLOOD.

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE BELIEVED THE RUMORS.

AND AREN'T WE INTERESTING PEOPLE, THEN AND NOW,

THAT WE'RE MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE RUMORS THAN EVIDENCE?

Wyatt: AS TOMBSTONE SALOONS SWIRLED WITH BASELESS SPECULATION,

IKE CLANTON AND HIS GANG WERE BIDING THEIR TIME

AND MAKING NEW PLANS TO KILL ME AND MY BROTHERS.

TWO MONTHS LATER, THEY SAW AN OPPORTUNITY.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

Tefertiller: THROUGH THE NIGHT AIR,

TWO SHOTS RANG OUT

AND HIT VIRGIL IN HIS ARM AND CHEST,

DAMAGING HIM DEEPLY, MAIMING HIM FOR LIFE.

Virgil: [ GRUNTING, COUGHING ]

AFTER THE SHOOTING, VIRGIL WAS TAKEN TO HIS HOTEL,

AND THE DOCTOR WORKED ON HIM.

[ GROANS ]

Bell: THEY COULDN'T SAVE THE ELBOW.

IT WAS FRACTURED AND SPLINTERED TO NOTHING.

Gomber: AND THEY REMOVED AN INCH AND A HALF OF BONE

FROM THE OTHER ARM,

AND HE INSISTED THAT THEY NOT AMPUTATE.

IT CRIPPLED THE ARM FOR LIFE.

HE NEVER WAS ABLE TO USE IT AGAIN.

Tefertiller: BACK IN THE NIGHT,

PEOPLE ARE EXAMINING THE SCENE FOR EVIDENCE,

AND THEY FIND A HAT THAT'S BEEN DROPPED.

AND THEY LOOK INSIDE,

AND IT HAS THE NAME IKE CLANTON IN IT.

AND SO THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION IS

THAT IKE WAS PART OF THE SHOOTING.

[ GUN COCKS ]

Wyatt: THE NEXT MORNING, I SET OUT TO SEEK JUSTICE.

IF ANY SHOTS ARE FIRED,

YOU WON'T LAST AS LONG AS A SNOWBALL IN HELL.

HE TAKES A HUMAN SHIELD AND GOES DOOR TO DOOR,

POUNDING ON THE DOORS OF EACH HOUSE

LOOKING FOR IKE CLANTON AND HIS BROTHER PHINEAS.

WHY DON'T YOU SEE IF YOUR FRIENDS ARE HOME?

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ]

IKE AND FIN CLANTON SLIP OUT THE BACK WAY, ESCAPE,

AND THEY GO AND SURRENDER TO ANOTHER POSSE.

AND SO THEY ACTUALLY RIDE BACK TO TOWN

AND AVOID BEING ARRESTED BY THE EARPS.

Wyatt: AFTER THE CLANTONS WERE APPREHENDED,

SEVEN OF THEIR LESS-THAN-TRUSTWORTHY CRONIES

CAME FORWARD WITH AN ALIBI,

PLACING THEM NINE MILES AWAY IN CHARLESTON

THE NIGHT VIRGIL WAS SHOT.

IT DIDN'T MATTER THAT WE FOUND IKE'S HAT AT THE SCENE.

THE CASE WAS QUICKLY DISMISSED,

AND I LOST WHATEVER FAITH I HAD LEFT IN THE COURTS.

Tefertiller: IT HAS TO BE SHOCKING.

BY ONE ACCOUNT THAT WYATT GAVE AT ABOUT THAT TIME,

THE JUDGE CAME UP TO HIM AND SAID,

"WYATT, YOU CAN'T CONVICT A CLANTON IN COCHISE COUNTY.

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE THEM IN THE BRUSH,"

MEANING THAT THE LAWS DIDN'T WORK ANYMORE.

YOU COULDN'T CONVICT AN OUTLAW.

YOUR ONLY CHOICE... [ PUNCHES PALM ]

WAS TO KILL THEM.

ALL RIGHT, MORGAN, IT'S THE LAST GAME.

Wyatt: FOR MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AFTER VIRGIL'S SHOOTING,

AN UNEASY QUIET SETTLED OVER TOMBSTONE.

WE KEPT A LOW PROFILE,

DOING OUR LEVEL BEST TO MAKE SURE

THAT IF TROUBLE FOUND US,

NO ONE COULD SAY WE WERE LOOKING FOR IT.

BUT THEN, ONE SATURDAY NIGHT,

CABIN FEVER GOT THE BETTER OF MORGAN.

THEY HAD BEEN BASICALLY HOLED UP IN A HOTEL

WITH GUARDS NIGHT AND DAY AT THEIR HOTEL,

AND MORGAN, HE SAID, "I WANT TO PLAY A GAME OF POOL."

AND SO, AGAINST WYATT'S BETTER JUDGMENT,

THEY PLAYED POOL.

HEY, WYATT, TWO BITS SAYS I SINK THIS ONE.

Bell: SOME ASSASSINS CAME DOWN THE ALLEY,

THEY LOOKED IN THERE,

THEY SAW WYATT EARP SITTING OVER ON A BENCH,

THEY SAW MORGAN COMING AROUND THE POOL TABLE.

THAT'S THEM. THAT'S MORGAN AND WYATT.

GET THEM. GET THEM!

I'LL GET THEM.

HE CAME RIGHT TO THE WINDOW, LEANED OVER TO TAKE HIS SHOT,

AND THE ASSASSINS FIRED THROUGH THE WINDOW.

Gomber: ONE OF THE BULLETS SHATTERED MORGAN'S SPINE.

THE OTHER ONE HIT JUST OVER WYATT'S HEAD.

[ GUNSHOT, GLASS SHATTERS ]

MORGAN! MORGAN!

HEY, LISTEN, THIS IS MY LAST GAME OF POOL.

[ GRUNTS ]

SOMEONE CALL A DOCTOR!

Clark: IT'S UNIMAGINABLE,

THE HORROR THAT MUST HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH WYATT'S MIND.

MORGAN!

WYATT DID NOT APPROVE OF PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF EMOTION.

HE DID NOT CRY OR ANYTHING ELSE.

HE JUST STARED DOWN AT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER,

WHO INTIMATES SAID WAS HIS FAVORITE,

AND I THINK WENT QUIETLY AND TEMPORARILY INSANE.

DO YOU KNOW WHO DID IT?

YES.

AND I'LL GET THEM.

THAT'S ALL I ASK.

Wyatt: I KNEW, FROM THAT MOMENT ON, I WOULD MAKE MY OWN LAW.

Russell: WHEN THEY KILLED MORGAN,

I THINK A LOT OF HIS LIFE AT THAT TIME WAS TAKEN FROM HIM.

I THINK HE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE.

THEY HAVE MESSED WITH THE WRONG COWBOY.

[ LAUGHS ] HE'S JUST GETTING STARTED.

[ GUNSHOT ]

Wyatt: FOR TWO YEARS,

TOMBSTONE'S OUTLAWS HAD BEEN A GROWING THREAT

TO THE SAFETY OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

THE TIME HAD COME TO REMOVE THAT THREAT

ONCE AND FOR ALL.

TWO DAYS AFTER MY BROTHER MORGAN WAS MURDERED,

I DELIVERED A CLEAR RESPONSE --

WITH BULLETS.

EVENING, FRANK.

EVENING, WYATT. I'LL GO WITH YOU.

FRANK STILWELL IS A MEMBER OF IKE CLANTON'S INNER CIRCLE,

ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE MEN

WHO HAD THREATENED TO KILL THE EARPS.

SO WHEN WYATT SEES FRANK, HE KNOWS WHAT HE HAS TO DO.

IT'S THE END OF THE LINE, FRANK.

THERE WAS A RUNNING JOKE IN TUCSON AT THE TIME

THAT STILWELL HAD BEEN SHOT SO MANY TIMES

THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY SHOULD BURY HIM

OR SELL HIM FOR SCRAP METAL.

FOR WYATT, THAT WAS A TURNING POINT IN HIS CAREER

BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME

HE HAD REALLY KILLED ANYBODY IN VENGEANCE.

Tefertiller: THIS WASN'T A GUY WITH NOTCHES IN HIS GUN.

WYATT EARP HAD SPENT HIS WHOLE CAREER AS A LAWMAN

AVOIDING MURDER,

AVOIDING KILLING PEOPLE AS BEST HE POSSIBLY CAN.

THE ULTIMATE ANTI-VIGILANTE

SUDDENLY BECAME THE ULTIMATE VIGILANTE.

ONE FOR MORGAN.

[ TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS ]

Wyatt: AFTER STILWELL, OUR HUNT FOR MY BROTHER'S MURDERERS

WAS ALL OVER THE PAPERS.

REPORTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

ADOPTED A NEW NAME FOR THE STORY --

THE TOMBSTONE VENDETTA.

THIS IS THE SOAP OPERA OF ITS TIME.

THIS IS THE CRIME STORY OF THE DECADE,

AND EVERYONE'S TUNING IN TO SEE WHO THE NEXT VICTIM'S GONNA BE.

Wyatt: NEXT ON MY HIT LIST WAS FLORENTINO CRUZ...

THE MEXICAN COWBOY RUMORED TO BE THE NOTORIOUS "INDIAN CHARLIE,"

WHO I AM CERTAIN PLAYED A ROLE IN MORGAN'S DEATH.

[ GUN COCKS, GUNSHOT ]

I DON'T THINK WYATT EARP, IN ANY WAY,

REGRETTED THE KILLING.

FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE,

HE WOULD SAY THAT HE WAS JUSTIFIED IN THESE,

AND IT'S HARD TO MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT HE'S NOT.

COME ON.

Tefertiller: WE HAVE A DIFFERENT SYSTEM OF ETHICS

FROM MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON THE FRONTIER.

I THINK, IN A SITUATION

WHERE YOUR LIFE IS DEPENDENT ON BEING ABLE TO DEFEND YOURSELF

AND WHERE YOU CAN'T LET PEOPLE GET AWAY

WITH MURDERING YOUR FAMILY,

HIS ETHICS MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE.

Wyatt: FOUR DAYS AFTER MORGAN'S MURDER,

TWO OF HIS KILLERS HAD FOLLOWED HIM TO THE GRAVE.

BUT OUR BUSINESS WAS STILL UNFINISHED,

AND WE INTENDED TO SEE IT THROUGH.

Bell: THE EARPS WERE RIDING TO MESCAL SPRINGS,

AND THEY WERE GOING TO MEET SOMEONE

TO GET SOME MORE CASH INFUSION FOR THEIR POSSE.

Gomber: WYATT WAS A BIT AHEAD OF THE POSSE,

AND THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING ANY TROUBLE.

WYATT HAD LOOSENED HIS GUN BELT IN THE SADDLE FOR COMFORT,

AND HE CAME AROUND A BEND IN THE TRAIL

AND SUDDENLY FOUND HIMSELF FACE TO FACE

WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF COWBOYS.

Man: ALL RIGHT, BOYS, MOUNT UP!

GOT TO GET TO THE SALOON.

I'M TIRED OF YOUR FACES.

WHOA, WHOA.

WYATT RECOGNIZED CURLY BILL.

Wyatt: 17 MONTHS EARLIER,

I HAD SAVED CURLY BILL FROM A LYNCHING,

BUT NOW I HAD TO SHOOT TO KILL.

WELL, I'LL BE.

IT'S WYATT!

GET HIM!

EVERYBODY JUMPED UP, AND LOTS OF SHOOTING BROKE OUT.

THE REST OF THE POSSE TURNED AND RAN,

FOR WHICH WYATT NEVER REALLY FORGAVE THEM.

Wyatt: I EXPECTED DOC AND THE OTHERS TO STAY AND FIGHT,

BUT THEY'D DISAPPEARED IN A CLOUD OF DUST

AS FAST AS THEIR HORSES COULD CARRY THEM.

HE JUMPS OFF HIS HORSE.

HIS GUN BELT FALLS DOWN AROUND HIS KNEES.

THE COWBOYS -- THERE'S NINE OF THEM NOW SHOOTING AT HIM.

Tefertiller: AS HE'S GRABBING HIS RIFLE,

THE HORSE REARS, AND SO YOU GOT THE HORSE UP...

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

AS WYATT'S TRYING TO GET THE RIFLE.

CAN'T GET THE RIFLE.

Oldfather: HE THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD.

HE SAID, "I THOUGHT I WAS GONE,

BUT I WAS GONNA TAKE CURLY BILL WITH ME."

Gomber: HE GRABBED A SHOTGUN OFF OF HIS SADDLE,

AND CURLY BILL WAS DEAD IN FRONT OF HIM,

AND WYATT LET GO WITH BOTH BARRELS.

AND, BY WYATT'S OWN ACCOUNT,

PRETTY MUCH CUT CURLY BILL IN HALF.

Oldfather: THE SHOTS ARE HITTING ALL AROUND HIM.

ONE TOOK OFF HIS SADDLE HORN

AS HE WAS TRYING TO GET ON THE HORSE.

[ GUNSHOT ]

ONE HIT HIS BOOT AND TOOK HIS HEEL OFF.

AND HE HAD BULLET HOLES THROUGH THE COAT.

HE FINALLY GETS BACK UP ON HIS HORSE, TURNS,

AND GETS OUT OF THERE,

AND HE'S NEVER HIT BY A BULLET. IT'S TRULY AMAZING.

I JUST -- GO FIGURE.

Holliday: WYATT. Wyatt: WHOA.

YOU MUST BE SHOT ALL TO PIECES.

Russell: IT WAS ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE

HOW THOSE PELLETS SEPARATED AROUND IN BETWEEN HIS LEGS,

AROUND HIS LEGS ON BOTH SIDES...

AND HOW HE DIDN'T GET HIT.

IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT NOBODY COULD REALLY EXPLAIN.

I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT ONE, AND I'VE SHOT SHOTGUNS A LOT.

I'VE NEVER SEEN A PATTERN LIKE THAT.

BUT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

I SAY WE GO SHOOT THOSE DOGS RIGHT DOWN.

IF YOU FELLAS ARE HUNGRY FOR A FIGHT,

YOU CAN GO GET YOUR FILL.

COME ON. [CLICKS TONGUE] COME ON.

Clark: AT THAT POINT,

WYATT REALIZES THAT THAT'S IT FOR REVENGE.

IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.

Oldfather: HE TURNED AROUND AND LEFT,

AND HE DIDN'T MEAN JUST FOR THAT DAY.

HE MEANT HE WAS DONE.

Wyatt: AFTER THE CURLY BILL INCIDENT,

I KNEW WE WOULD NO LONGER BE WELCOME IN ARIZONA,

REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE BLAME FOR OUR ALTERCATIONS

TRULY BELONGED.

SO WE HEADED TO NEW MEXICO AND THEN ON TO COLORADO.

DOC HOLLIDAY WOULD DIE THERE FIVE YEARS LATER

AT THE AGE OF 36 DUE TO COMPLICATIONS FROM TUBERCULOSIS.

VIRGIL WOULD LIVE ANOTHER 23 YEARS,

FINDING WORK AS A LAWMAN AGAIN IN CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA

EVEN THOUGH HIS LEFT ARM WAS PERMANENTLY CRIPPLED.

VIRGIL EARP!

IKE CLANTON DIED IN THE SADDLE IN 1887,

SHOT BY A LAWMAN

WHO WAS PURSUING HIM ON CATTLE-RUSTLING CHARGES.

AS USUAL, HE WAS RUNNING AWAY.

AND SOMEHOW, IN LIFE, AS IN TOMBSTONE,

I WOULD BE THE LAST MAN STANDING.

BUT IT WOULD BE ANOTHER FOUR DECADES

BEFORE I SHARED MY STORY WITH ANYONE,

WHEN I ENLISTED A BIOGRAPHER

TO WRITE THE BOOK THAT MADE ME A LEGEND.

OUR ONLY WAY OF STAYING ALIVE

WAS TO FACE THEM IN A FAIR FIGHT,

OUT IN THE OPEN.

Hutton: IN TOMBSTONE, THE EARPS WERE ALWAYS THE VILLAIN OF THE STORY

UNTIL STUART LAKE'S BOOK CAME OUT IN THE 1930s

AND REVERSED THAT,

AND WYATT EARP BECAME THE PARAGON OF VIRTUE

IN THE STORY OF THE WILD WEST --

THE TOWN-TAMING MARSHAL WHO SACRIFICED EVERYTHING

TO BRING LAW AND ORDER TO THE AMERICAN WEST.

THAT'S THE STORY OF WYATT EARP.

BUT IT'S TOTALLY A 20th-CENTURY CREATION.

THE MID-1920s FINDS A 75-YEAR-OLD WYATT EARP

AS AN UNPAID FILM CONSULTANT IN HOLLYWOOD,

AND HE SPENDS QUITE A LOT OF TIME

DRINKING COFFEE IN THE STUDIO COMMISSARY

WITH A 17-YEAR-OLD EXTRA

THAT HAS A SUMMER JOB MOVING SCENERY AROUND.

THAT KID'S NAME -- MARION MORRISON --

JOHN WAYNE.

LATER IN LIFE, JOHN WAYNE WOULD SHARE

THAT MANY OF HIS EARLY LAWMAN FILM CHARACTERIZATIONS

WERE BASED ON ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS

HE HAD WITH WYATT EARP HIMSELF.

Tefertiller: I THINK THE REASON

THAT WYATT EARP'S STORY IS SO IMPORTANT TO US

IS THAT IT'S REALLY A STORY FOR ALL TIME.

IT'S A STORY THAT ECHOES THROUGH HISTORY

AND IS PART OF OUR SOCIETY AS MUCH TODAY AS IT WAS THEN.

WYATT EARP WENT BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF THE LAW

TO VENGEANCE, TO HIS OWN KIND OF JUSTICE.

WHY DON'T YOU SEE IF YOUR FRIENDS ARE HOME?

Russell: NO MATTER WHAT HE DID,

HE JUST SEEMED TO FIND HIMSELF IN A SITUATION

THAT HE COULDN'T LEAVE

WITHOUT HAVING A DRAMATIC EFFECT ON IT.

AS HE ONCE SAID,

HE JUST WANTED TO LIVE AN ORDINARY LIFE,

AND AS DOC REPLIED, "THERE IS NO ORDINARY LIFE,

ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU."

I THINK THAT HISTORY HAS TO SAY, FOR THE MOST AND GREAT PART,

HE WAS A MAN WHO LIVED BY LAWS.

HE LIVED ON THE LEGAL SIDE OF THE EQUATION.

BUT HE HAD ALL THE ASPECTS OF MEN WHO DIDN'T

IN HIS CHARACTER,

AND THAT'S A PRETTY STRONG FORCE ON THE SIDE OF THE LAW.

WYATT HAD HIS OWN LINE,

AND IF YOU WENT ACROSS IT, THAT WAS IT.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]